As the campaign of 1795 had terminated unsuccessfully to the French on the Rhine, the Directory resolved to ex ert their utmost endeavours to open that of 1796 in such a manner, as would restore their superiority, and regain their conquests. But when they began to examine the means that they possessed for recruiting the armies, and sup plying them with the necessary provisions and stores, they found a lamentable deficiency of money. The assignats were excessively depreciated ; nor could their credit be any longer supported by the most severe decrees, while an increased issue only augmented the depreciation. It was therefore resolved, on the 25th of March 1796, to dispose of the remainder of the church lands ; but it seems not to have entered into the thoughts of the Directory, that, as the purchase of them would be paid for in paper money, the actual proceeds would amount to very little. As soon as they found this to be the case, the legislature decreed that one-fourth of every purchase should be paid in cash ; and this almost immediately put an entire stop to the sale of the property, and consequently to this source of re venue.
Notwithstanding this disappointment, the French pre pared to open the campaign with an immense force. The army of the Sambre and Meuse, under the command of Jourdan, was stationed at Dusseldorf and Coblentz ; Moreau had the command of the army of the Rhine and Moselle, on the upper Rhine ; and Bonaparte, who had been drought into notice during the disputes between the Convention and the Parisians, in the preceding year, had the command of the third army on the Italian coast, from Nice to Genoa. The wonderful advantages of Bonaparte in Italy, and the defeat of Jourdan, and retreat of Moreau, in Germany, render this campaign extremely interesting and impor tant.
As soon as Bonaparte assumed the command, he threat ened Genoa. This induced Beaulieu, who commanded the Austrian troops, to resolve on the attack of the whole French line ; but the attack being unsuccessful, and part of his army out-flanked by the French, he was compelled to retreat. Bonaparte immediately followed up his advan tage. On the 14th of April, having broken in between the Piedniontese and the Austrians, he defeated the former ; and, by his subsequent success over them, compelled the King of Sardinia to purchase peace, by the surrender of Savoy, Nice, &c. The' Austrian general, being deserted by his ally, was now obliged to act on the defensive, and, for this purpose, took up a strong position behind the Po. But Bonaparte, instead of crossing that river at Valencia, which Beaulieu expected he would do, marched into the dominions of the Duke of Parma, and passed it at Pla centia. The Austrian general being thus forced to aban don the Po, retreated to the neighbourhood of Lodi, in the Milanese. The bridge, at this place, over the Adda, was defended by 30 pieces of cannon, which rendered its pas sage so very formidable, that all the officers whom Bona parte consulted, were of opinion it could not be forced ; but the grenadiers expressing their willingness to under take the enterprise, were formed into a close column, and reached the middle of the bridge unperceived, in conse quence of the smoke of the cannon. I Icre they were mow
ed down in great numbers, and began to hesitate ; but they were animated to press on by their officers, and succeeded in gaining possession of the bridge. The retreat of the Austrians having been protected by a body of Neapolitan cavalry, their loss was not so great as that of the French. The conquest of the Milanese, and of Ferrara, Bologna, and Urbino, were the fruits of this victory, the Austrians retiring into the bishopric of Trent. Naples and Tuscany sought and obtained peace. The siege of Mantua was the next object of the conquerors ; hut they were drawn from it by the re-advance of the Austrians under General \\rummer, who had been appointed to supersede Beaulieu. This general was not more successful than his predeces sor; and being obliged, after repeated defeats, to retire to the Tyrolese frontier, Mantua was re-invested. After a month's respite, the armies again tried their strength, and the Austrians being again defeated, the victors took pos session of Trent. They did not, however, at this time, long keep possession of this district ; for Wurmser, by his manoeuvres, drew them out of it ; and though he sustain ed another defeat, yet, in his retreat, he succeeded in en couraging the garrison of Mantua, by throwing himself into that place. The Austrian army was now placed under the command of Alvingi, who, at first, was par tially successful, but was at length driven across the Brenta by Bonaparte. Mantua, however, still held out at the end of the year 1796.
The armistice in Germany terminated on the 31 st of May. In consequence of the success of the French at the commencement of this campaign, the Archduke Charles left the Palatinate, to force Jourdan down the Rhine. In this he succeeded ; but in the mean time, Moreau had crossed that river at Kehl, against him therefore the Arch duke thought it proper to advance ; and Jourdan, taking advantage of this, again crossed the Rhine, and afterwards the Lahn, and gained possession of Frankfort. The Arch duke, apprehensive that Jourdan and Moreau would form a junction, resolved to attack the latter before it took place; but Moreau anticipated him, and the Austrians were compelled to retreat. Their army also, which was opposed to Jourdan, retreated, keeping up, however, a communication with the main army under the Archduke. The line of their retreat was through Swabia ; and, by the end of August, the three republican armies, under Moreau, Bonaparte, and Jourdan, were possessed of the whole coun try from the frontiers of Bohemia to the Adriatic, with the exception of a part of the Tyrolese. The German prin ces took the alarm, and many of them made peace with France. Had Bonaparte, at this period, been able to have crossed the Tyrolese, and reached the Danube, the Em peror must also have submitted to whatever conditions the French chose to dictate.